I really hadn’t meant to yell（吼叫）at them．But that grey afternoon saw it just as my son and daughter were making a terrible mess on the floor in the kitchen．
With a tiresome report to write，I felt bothered at my desk．Suddenly, it occurred to me that my kids were at fault．A voice inside me insisted that I do something quickly．
“OK，you two here．but what an awful thing you are attempting!” shouting angrily, I made for them, while it became evident that the boy wanted no part of me．“Get away from us!” he shouted back，there being expression of support from his sister．
All of a sudden，I found the fault in myself．Quickly I shaped my hands into pincers（螃蟹螯）and crawled towards them，“Crabby（似螃蟹的）Daddy is here Ha，Ha，Ha，he likes to yell at children，and then eat them!” My son continued to keep me away，but now he was laughing and crying at the same time．My mission to repair the damage caused by my yelling seemed to work well．Still，I regretted not having controlled myself first in a right way that my children could do after．
Need I let them know how badly they were acting by blaming? This is a lesson that serves myself．It only shows just how to get rid of something（ill-feelings，responsibility）by blaming others．It’s not my “best self”．
We have to search for our “best self” when with our children．They don’t need perfect parents，but they do need parents who are always trying to get better．Here，I’m reminded of the words of a great thinker，“When a man lives with God，his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook…” Then，in our lifetime，couldn’t we always speak to our kids in such a sweet voice since，most of us consider them as the most precious in the world? And before we reach this level，what should we do when we come across various difficult cases with our children? The author couldn’t help yelling at his kids this time probably because______．
| A．the weather was so unpleasant | B．a Daddy has his right to do so |
| C．the kids didn’t ask him to join them | D．he was tired of his boring work |
Which of the following made the author aware of his fault?
| A．No obvious reason． | B．The children’s reaction． |
| C．His self-control． | D．The mess made by the children． |
According to the passage the author will in another similar situation．
| A．play a crab again like this time | B．apologize to kids in a sincere way |
| C．avoid blaming kids in a hurry | D．beat them up about such things |
What will the writer go on to write about in the next paragraph（s）?
| A．How to behave ourselves properly when kids are at fault． |
| B．How to blame our children in a more interesting way． |
| C．How to deal with the terrible mess made by our kids． |
| D．How to persuade children to do what they are told to． |
One day an American called Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But he was told that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?
In fact, the British call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, which Americans would call the second floor.
The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British and Americans both speak English.
The British usually hide their feelings. They seldom start a conversation with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They’re more active and easier to talk with.
The British and Americans may use different terms for many things. The British usually use football, eraser and mail while Americans prefer to use soccer, rubber and post.Simon went to London to ______.
| A．visit his friend | B．spend his holiday |
| C．study English | D．have a meeting |
Which picture shows us where Rick’s flat was? ______.
According to the passage, the British usually spend their time ______ on the train.
| A．playing cards | B．talking loudly |
| C．doing some reading | D．singing and dancing |
What does the underlined word “terms” mean in Chinese in the passage? ______.
| A．成果 | B．学期 | C．会议 | D．用语 |
Perhaps you think you could easily add to your happiness with more money. Strange as it may seem, if you’re unsatisfied, the issue is not a lack of means to meet your desires but a lack of desires—not that you cannot satisfy your tastes but that you don’t have enough tastes.
Real riches consist of well-developed and hearty capacities(能力)to enjoy life. Most people are already flooded with things. They eat, wear, go and talk too much. They live in too big a house with too many rooms, yet their house of life is a hut.
Your house of life ought to be a mansion(豪宅), a royal palace. Every new taste, every additional interest, every fresh enthusiasm adds a room. Here are several rooms your house of life should have.
Art should be a desire for you to develop simply because the world is full of beautiful things. If you only understood how to enjoy them and feed your spirit on them, they would make you as happy as to find plenty of ham and eggs when you’re hungry.
Literature, classic literature, is a beautiful, richly furnished room where you might find many an hour of rest and refreshment. To gain that love would go toward making you a rich person, for a rich person is not someone who has a library but who likes a library.
Music like Mozart’s and Bach’s shouldn’t be absent. Real riches are of the spirit. And when you’ve brought that spirit up to where classical music feeds it and makes you a little drunk, you have increased your thrills and bettered them. And life is a matter of thrills.
Whatever rooms you might add to your house of life, the secret of enjoying life is to keep adding.The author intends to tell us that________.
| A．true happiness lies in achieving wealth by fair means |
| B．big houses are people’s most valued possessions |
| C．big houses can in a sense bring richness of life |
| D．true happiness comes from spiritual riches |
The underlined sentence in the second paragraph probably implies that________.
| A．however materially rich, they never seem to be satisfied |
| B．however materially rich, they remain spiritually poor |
| C．though their house is big, they prefer a simple life |
| D．though their house is big, it seems to be a cage |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．House of Life | B．Secret of Wealth |
| C．Rest and Refreshment | D．Interest and Enthusiasm |
New research shows how kids’ brains reorganize as they learn math.
All the time you spent memorizing multiplication tables(乘法表)may have made you a better mathematician, according to a new study. A team of scientists from Stanford University, in California, have shown how the brain reorganizes itself as kids learn math.
After a certain amount of time spent practicing math, kids can put away the calculator(计算器). They don’t even need to count on their fingers. They simply know the answers to subtraction(减法), addition, and multiplication facts. The quicker kids can recall basic math facts, the easier it is for them to solve more complicated math problems.
The Stanford University researchers observed the brain activity of 28 students aged 7to 9 for the study. They took scans of the students’ brains as the students solved math calculations without the help of a calculator, pen or paper. A calculation—three plus four equals seven, for example—flashed on a screen. The students pushed a button to say if the answer was right or wrong. The scientists also recorded the response speed, and what parts of the brain became active as the kids pushed the button.
These observations showed a process called fact retrieval(事实检索). Rather than using their fingers to count, or writing out answers on a piece of paper, the students pulled the answers from memory. It’s as if the answers to basic math problems are kept in a long-term storage area in the brain, which was built from repetition. “Experience really does matter,” said Dr. Kathy Mann Koepeke.
Children make the shift(转换)from counting to fact retrieval when they are 8 to 9 years old, the study shows. This is the time when most students are learning basic addition and subtraction. When kids have basic math facts memorized, the brain has more free space to learn more complicated math.
This process has benefits for the future. The study shows as kids grow older, their answers rely more on memory and become quicker and more accurate. Less brain activity is devoted to counting. Some children make this shift quicker than others.What did the researchers do when students worked out the given problems?
| A．They recorded the students’ brain activities. |
| B．They pushed a button linked to the students. |
| C．They noticed whether they used a calculator. |
| D．They found out who responded most quickly. |
Fact retrieval is a process when the students________.
| A．calculate answers using pens |
| B．use their fingers to count out |
| C．repeat the answers they remember |
| D．find the answers from their memory |
What plays a key role in solving a math problem?
| A．Intelligence | B．Experience |
| C．Learning method | D．Constant practice |
What happens to kids when they are 8 to 9 years old?
| A．Their brains are more active than before. |
| B．They depend on fact retrieval for answers. |
| C．They become more interested in learning math. |
| D．They work out complicated problems more quickly. |
Last Saturday on the way to the mall, two children, a boy and a girl, came running towards me with bottles on their hands, asking if I wanted bottled water. It was a surprising gesture. I was wondering if they were doing fund-raising. I knelt and asked them where their parents were and how much a bottle of water cost. Then two adult women came up to me explaining what the children were doing. “We are teaching the children to give without anything in return. We are teaching people to accept without giving in return. ”
Two mothers had bought bottled water and placed a sticker(小贴纸)on all bottles with five different quotes(引述):
1. Smile at everyone. You’ll never know when someone may need it.
2. If Plan A does not work, there are 25 more letters in the alphabets.
3. Have a thirst for life. Every day is filled with possibilities.
4. In your thirst for knowledge, be sure you don’t drown in all the information.
5. Dig your well before you’re thirsty.
The bottle I have has quoted No.5. A sudden change of attitude opened up between me, the mothers and the children. We are no longer strangers to each other. We were having such a great time chatting and I ended up helping them give away the rest of the bottled water.
One young lady was so thankful that she happily accepted the water and said it was the best thing that happened to her all day since she had a bad day at work. A man refused and walked away saying “no thanks”. A couple kept on bowing to us in gratitude. When it was all done, the children and I were giving each other high-five. It was so much fun. I think I had more fun doing this than the mothers and the children.How did the author feel when he was offered bottled water?
| A．Embarrassed | B．Surprised |
| C．Excited | D．Disappointed |
Different quotes were placed on the bottles to ________.
| A．inspire others to think positively. |
| B．show how rich and colorful our life is. |
| C．encourage people to get more bottled water. |
| D．explain why at times abandonment is necessary facing trouble. |
What did the author do after chatting with them?
| A．Buy the rest of the bottled water. |
| B．Give away some money for charity. |
| C．Decide to meet with them regularly. |
| D．Join them in being kind to strangers. |
What do we know from the last paragraph?
| A．Children had more fun from this than adults. |
| B．This random act of kindness is warmly welcomed. |
| C．People responded quite differently to this activity. |
| D．The author learned a lot from this random act of kindness. |
What would you do if you were a fifth grader facing a huge homework load every night，and you found out that there was a machine that would do all the work for you? That’s the situation presented to Sam，Kelsey，Judy and Brenton in Dan Gunman’s entertaining new book for young readers，The Homework Machine．
The four children．all fifth graders in Miss Rasmussen’s class at Grand Canyon School，are as different as any other 11 year-old children could be，but they have one thing in common--all are somewhat separated from their classmates. Sam is a newcomer and has had his share of school trouble before; Kelsey quietly carries her pain at losing her father；Judy’s sense of justice always annoys others；and Brenton---well，he is another story entirely．Brenton is the smartest child in the school, so smart that even his parents and teachers have trouble keeping up with him．When Brenton and his three classmates are put into the same study group by their teacher，the others discover that Brenton has made a time-saving gadget(装置)to do his homework for him．While the boy is perfectly able to do the homework himself，Sam，Kelsey and Judy could use the help．
Having perfect grades is something new for these three，and as they meet every day to “do homework”，they find that they’re learning a lot about each other．Such a good thing can't last though，and when a secret man starts trying to get in touch with them，the children begin to get nervous. Soon there’s an even more frightening problem--why can’t the Homework Machine be turned off?
Gunman is a gifted writer who has written dozens of children’s books，each with a funny and impressing tale that should be equally liked by boys and girls．What type of text is it?
| A．A book review． | B．A school report． |
| C．A science story． | D．A student’s diary． |
What is one common thing that all four children have to deal with at school?
| A．Getting along with classmates． |
| B．Overcoming sad feelings． |
| C．Following school rules． |
| D．Keeping good grades． |
What can we learn about Brenton?
| A．He is strange and nervous. |
| B．He is clever and helpful. |
| C．He is brave and special. |
| D．He is quiet and smart. |
Why did the children get frightened?
| A．They had no idea how to stop the machine． |
| B．They lost the connection with each other． |
| C．They were questioned by a strange man． |
| D．They were tracked down by the police． |